X Chromosome
by The Pessimistic Dreamer
Summary: This is a tale of what differences may have occurred in the life of a certain young Potter we all know and love, had the Y chromosome instead been another X. (Rated T just in case)


**NOT A NEW CHAPTER, I'M SORRY, UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM THAT EXPLAINS**

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A while back, I published a story that was going to be an AU in which Harry Potter was a girl, and as a result was treated differently by her family. More harshly, to be precise, because she resembled Petunia's sister, and Dudley and Vernon took their cues from Petunia. This, of course, led to changes in her character, which (I should hope) will lead to a very different story (especially because I plan on taking a few other liberties as well). However, the first two chapters were apparently too much like the actual text (I swear, I didn't have the book in front of me when writing it, and I have no clue how that happened), so consequently it got taken down. Now I'm going to try again, starting with the third chapter.

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A few things you should know before I dive in: In chapter two, the first where we see Alex Potter as her ten (almost eleven) year old self, there were a few changes. Most of them were trivial and won't matter in the long run, although she did behave differently from Harry in canon, but there was one that is more important. The snake she set free was different than the one in canon (who it has been said was Nagini, who we'll say was already out in the wild), in that it was a magical snake. It changes size and colour. The important part, though, is that she took it with her. Oh, one more thing, although I doubt it will matter. I just want you to know. She got in trouble for her comments in the car about the flying motorcycle, and as such was forced to skip lunch. Oh, last thing, I promise. She is much smaller than in canon, probably appearing around eight years old when the story starts.

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**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, got it? **

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The incident with the snake (who she still had yet to inform her Uncle that she kept) earned Alex one of the longest punishments she had ever received. She was kept in her cupboard until it was nearly her birthday, and was given only a few measly morsels of food every few days, with a bathroom break every four. It was dark in there, and the Dursleys didn't even let her out to go to school this time. Instead, they simply called her in sick with a bad case of pneumonia, and wasn't it a shame that she would have to repeat a year because she was missing so much school? The authorities simply passed on their best wishes and expressed their hopes that she would be well by the coming September.

It was a sunny day in the end of July, Alex's birthday, to be exact, when she was finally let out of her cupboard. Her aunt simply unlocked her door and ordered her into the kitchen to cook breakfast, with no other words said. Alex didn't really expect anything else though, as this was how it was usually done. She just went to the stove and started preparing the bacon silently, while the snake (who she had never bothered to name) slithered away immediately to get some fresh air and sunlight.

As she was sliding the bacon out of the pan and finishing the scrambled eggs, both male Dursleys entered the kitchen. She set the platter of bacon and eggs on the table, careful to make sure it didn't fall on the way. Alex glanced quickly at her uncle as she was getting out dishes, and a curt nod from him let her know that she would be allowed to eat that morning. She got out four plates (though hers was considerably smaller than the rest) and set the three larger ones on the table. Hers went to the counter, where she ate a small piece of stale toast from several days ago that she got from the breadbox. She knew she wasn't allowed to sit at the table with them, so she didn't even try.

Several minutes later, a small click was heard out in the hall signifying the arrival of the day's mail. Alex got up at once and went to retrieve it without waiting to be told. There was a small pile of letters at the door, three to be exact. She picked them up and headed back towards the kitchen, flipping through the pile absent-mindedly. Alex barely noticed the addresses on the first two, but the third one made her blink and falter. It had her name on it. She stood stock still in the hall for a moment, wondering what to do. She was about to continue on again and enter the kitchen when she realised that it would be a supremely bad idea to let her uncle get his hands on her mail, or she would probably never get to read it. Tiptoeing silently over to her cupboard, Alex slipped the thick yellow envelope through the slats of the door to read once her chores were done. She walked swiftly back into the kitchen and threw the two letters carelessly onto the table in front of her uncle.

'Your chore list is on the fridge!' Petunia called after her as she turned to go. Alex rolled her eyes and pulled the list up from behind the magnet. She glanced down it as she walked out of the kitchen and growled under her breath. It was massive!

• Repaint the garage door

• Do the laundry

• Mow the lawn

• Trim the rose bushes

• Water the garden

• Dust all surfaces

• Mop and sweep the floors

• Scrub all bathrooms top to bottom

• Organise Dudley's toys in his second bedroom

• Clean all bedrooms including fresh sheets

• Clean kitchen

• Fix coffee table

• Wash car

• Vacuum all carpeted rooms

Alex resolutely set about completing her tasks, her face set in determination. She decided to wait on the kitchen until the Dursleys were done in there, so she went out to the garage and began rolling the new paint onto the door. Half an hour later, the garage door was completely covered in wet paint, and Alex was ready to move on. She pulled the lawnmower out of the shed and set to work cutting the grass. The Dursleys hadn't seen the need to make Alex's job any easier for her, especially as it would cost them, so the mower they had did not power itself. She had to push it across the grass completely with her own strength, so this was a very tiring and slow task. The yard was about 5 metres by 4 metres, with bright (and obviously doctored) grass evenly coating the entire thing. Alex started up the mower and began making her way in carefully straight lines across the lawn.

Now, we could describe every task Alex did in gruelling detail for your reading not-such-a-pleasure, or we could simply say that the tasks were hard and irritating, but she completed them to her Aunt's satisfaction around 5 o'clock PM. To save us lots of time and irritation, we believe we shall simply go with the second option.

Alex continued to complete her various tasks for most of the day, eventually finishing the entire list to Petunia's satisfaction. By the time she finished, having not taken a single break (even to eat), it was 5 o'clock PM. After she finished, nobody cared where she was, so Alex grabbed her letter from her cupboard and made a dash for her favourite spot, in a nearby forest. Her bare feet padded the leaf-strewn ground as she searched out her tree.

There was one tree in that special spot within that forest that Alex always went to when she wanted to be alone, hidden deep in the heart of the wood where no other Little Whinging resident had even thought of going. She walked and walked until she got to the little clearing, where the sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the leaves of the canopy. In the centre of the clearing was a great willow tree, with a notch in the gnarled roots that was just the right size and shape for a young girl like Alex to curl up in. Now, Alex sat herself down in her makeshift chair and steeled herself for her very first piece of post.

Carefully, almost suspiciously, Alex slid her fingernail under the extravagant wax seal on the back. The stamp on the seal was in the shape of a crest, with the Latin words '_Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus_' written in script across the bottom. The shield itself was split into four quadrants, and each section had a different animal in it, either a snake, lion, badger, or eagle. The seal easily came up from the – was it parchment?—and Alex slowly opened the envelope, almost scared of its contents.

Inside the envelope were two thick yellowish papers – they also appeared to be parchment – with writing in green ink, like what was on the envelope. Alex unfolded the bigger piece and scanned the text curiously. As she read, she cycled through as many feelings and thoughts as there were words in the letter. A witch? That explained so much! 'We await your owl'… What did that mean? Just as she read this, almost as if responding to her very thoughts, an owl appeared in front of her. It had a roll of the same thick yellow parchment tied around its ankle, so Alex decided to write back using that. She fished a pen out of her pocket and started to write, grinning happily.

**Dear Professor McGonagall,**

**I would love to attend Hogwarts, but unfortunately it is not solely up to me. I would have to ask permission from my Aunt and Uncle, who are my guardians, and it is my belief that they would not take kindly to the news of me being magical. I have not yet shown them my acceptance letter, but I am most positive of their reaction. Would it be possible for you to send someone to me to help reason with my guardians? They aren't the nicest people in the world.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Alex Potter**

Alex rolled the scroll back up and tied it to the owl's leg. 'Er, can you take this to Professor McGonagall?' She asked hopefully. The owl took off immediately, and Alex breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, she heard a slithering sound, and she glanced down to see her snake friend approaching. *I have just had a most interesting experience.* She told him thoughtfully.

*What was that?* He asked, genuinely curious. Their bond had strengthened greatly during their months of imprisonment, and they cared for each other greatly. Alex grinned mischievously.

*This morning, I was getting the mail, and I found a particularly heavy envelope at the bottom of the pile, and it was addressed to me! Here it is, right here. It's made of this thick parchment, and you'll never guess who it was from!* She hissed excitedly.

*Who is it from? Do you think it has something to do with your ability to speak to me?* The snake asked. Alex frowned.

*Possibly… It was from the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! She says I can do magic, and I'm accepted into the school! It's a boarding school too, so I can even get away from the Dursleys! I can do magic!* She exclaimed, practically jumping up and down with happiness at the prospect of leaving the Dursleys.

*But how will you get there? You know barely anything of the place!* The snake replied, never one to baby her, always one to get down to the cold, hard, fact. Alex's shoulders slumped and she stopped jumping. She sat down and frowned.

*Well, I wrote to the Deputy Headmistress, asking her to send someone along to help me… I don't know if it will work though. Or even if it's real, I suppose. It all seems too good to be true, doesn't it?* She asked, sighing heavily. The snake just cocked his head to the side.

*I don't think so.* He said.

*Why ever not?* Alex asked, knowing he wouldn't coddle her or reassure her unless he himself was sure. She trusted him not to get her hopes up, which meant that he obviously knew something she didn't.

*I can smell an owl approaching.* He said simply. Alex jumped up again, grinning wildly.

*Really? That's wonderful!* She cried. Soon, she too could see the owl. She waved it down, and it landed on a branch about shoulder height. She spotted a scroll on its leg, and untied it immediately. She unfurled it and read the message from the Professor.

**Ms. Potter,**

**I have sent Professor Snape to your house. He should be arriving momentarily. I suggest that if you are not at home, you make your way back at once.**

**Professor McGonagall**

*She sent a teacher to come and help me. Come on, we have to go home to meet him!* Alex exclaimed, bending down so the snake could hide in her sleeve again. As soon as he was clear of the hem, she set off at the fastest she had ever run, dodging in between trees, desperate to make it home in time to meet the professor. She flew past houses, across streets, and around corners, and then finally made it to her street almost ten minutes later.

As she ran up the driveway, she smacked into a tall man with long black hair and a long cloak.

'Sorry!' She exclaimed. He looked down at her, sneering, and was about to reply when he saw her. Instead of reprimanding her or getting mad, he gasped.

'Lily.' He whispered.

'No, I'm not Lily, I'm Alex.' Alex said, a bit confused. The man shook himself.

'I'm sorry, you look extraordinarily like your mother. I am Professor Snape.' He said. Alex held out her hand, uncertain, yet trying hard to appear confident.

'Alex Potter. You're from Hogwarts School, right?' He nodded once and took her outstretched hand.

'I believe it is your birthday, correct?' Alex nodded slowly. She had forgotten that it was her birthday; then again, she never had any reason to remember it, as there was never any kind of celebration. 'Happy Birthday.' He gave her a smile, and she had no idea just how rare it was.

'Thanks! Now, we should probably go in and see my relatives. I'll go first, shall I? I'll tell them you're here and all that.' She said, worried that her aunt and uncle would react harshly to a strange man entering their house, especially to do with Alex, and more importantly, right after a punishment. Alex went inside without waiting for an answer, knowing that he would probably feel that he should go ahead, being the adult of the pair.

'Aunt Petunia? Uncle Vernon? We have a guest. He's here from a Hogwarts School; I think he said something about magic.' She feigned ignorance on the subject, knowing that they would only be even more cross if they knew she had 'stolen' her letter from the pile. What surprised her, though, was when her Aunt and Uncle both paled drastically and stared at her fearfully. Petunia was the first to recover.

'Tell him he is not welcome here, and he should go away at once.' She snapped. Just then, the professor appeared at Alex's shoulder.

'Hello Petunia.' He said coldly.

'Severus!' She gasped, and glared at him. This confused Alex immensely.

'You guys know each other?' She asked, looking from Professor Snape, to Aunt Petunia, and back again. Petunia nodded slowly, and Professor Snape turned to Alex.

'I was very good friends with your mother when we were younger.' He told her.

'My mother was magical?' She gasped. Why then, did she not know about this world, if her family had clearly been part of it?

Professor Snape nodded. 'So was your father, actually.'

'What about you, Aunt Petunia?' Her aunt ignored her, and Professor Snape shook his head.

'Your mother came from a family made completely of non-magicals, or 'Muggles' as we call them.' Alex nodded solemnly.

'And my father?'

'Full magical background. He came from an ancient family of wizards, dating back to the time of Merlin and King Arthur of Camelot.' The Professor told her,and Alex thought she detected a hint of a scowl on his face as he did so. He turned to Petunia. 'Petunia, I am here to talk to you about Alexandria Potter's education in magic.' Just then, Uncle Vernon spoke up for the first time.

'She will not be going! I refuse to let her be trained to become a freak!' He blustered.

'Say that one more time.' Professor Snape hissed menacingly.

'She won't become a freak!' Vernon said, but this time he cowered, and backed down.

'You will not insult your niece any more, and you will not prevent her from attending Hogwarts and training to become a witch under the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen.' Professor Snape growled forcefully. Alex grinned; if he hadn't been on her side, she would have been terrified! He straightened up and looked Petunia in the eye. 'This is not a discussion. Alex will be attending Hogwarts, and I will take her to Diagon Alley now to purchase her supplies. She will not be returning until the summer.' He said curtly, and swept from the room. Alex glanced back at her stupefied relatives before hurrying after him. He turned to her. 'Go and pack your clothing and anything else you wish to take with you, and meet me here by the door.' She nodded once and went straight to her cupboard. He looked confused, so she spoke.

'This is where I live.' She explained. He turned even paler than he already was, and he looked furious. 'It's fine, honest.' She added quickly, hoping to just be on her way, but the professor just shook his head and turned back to face the rest of the house.

'DURSLEY!' He bellowed. Vernon came meekly into the hall.

'Yes?' He squeaked.

'You have been forcing Alex to live in a CUPBOARD?' He screeched. Instead of answering, Vernon assured him that Alex would be moving into the extra bedroom upstairs when she came back, whenever that was. Snape was even more livid when he found out that there was an extra bedroom that she could have used, and he promised that 'when she came back' would be never, if he could help it. Meanwhile, Alex had grabbed all the clothes she owned, which was about five shirts and two pairs of jeans along with some undergarments, and put it all in a rucksack. She joined Professor Snape again by the door just in time to catch Vernon stomping away.

'I'm ready, Professor.' She said nervously.

'Take my hand.' He told her in a considerably softer voice than he had used with Vernon and Petunia. She obliged, and he said 'We are going to be doing something called Apparition. I will turn on the spot, and you and I will disappear from here and appear in Diagon Alley, where we will retrieve your school supplies. It may be a tiny bit uncomfortable.' She nodded, and he spun on the spot. Alex felt as though she was being squeezed through a tube very small tube very fast with no consideration for her breathing ability, and when the sensation was over she noticed that she was standing in a very different building.

'Professor Snape?' She asked. 'Where are we?'

'Welcome, Miss Potter, to The Leaky Cauldron. This pub leads straight through to Diagon Alley, where you will be obtaining your school supplies. Come, let us go.' Professor Snape replied. Alex looked around, taking in her surroundings. The pub was small, and fairly dingy. It didn't seem at all to be the type of place used for an international rendezvous point, but that was just her opinion.

As the pair moved into the light of the room, they drew the eyes of every single soul in the building. Several people stood up, and some even started clapping.

'Miss Potter, such a pleasure.'

'Welcome back Miss Potter!'

'Congratulations, Miss Potter!'

'Well done!'

'We've missed you!'

'Alexandria Potter! It's Alexandria Potter!'

At this, Professor Snape grasped Alex's shoulders and firmly steered her out the back entrance to the pub, pointedly ignoring everyone in there. They exited through the back door into a small courtyard. There was a brick wall at the far end, and the professor approached it, his wand out. 'Excuse me, Professor?' Alex asked suddenly. He glanced around, startled.

'Yes, Alex?' He answered kindly. Well, kindly for him, which meant his voice was soft and smooth and he didn't sneer or glare.

'Why exactly did they all know me, and what did they mean when they said 'welcome back,' and 'we missed you'? And how did they know my name?' She asked in a rush, unsure of whether the 'don't ask questions' rule remained.

'Ah, yes. I should probably tell you this story before you encounter anyone else.' With that, he conjured two comfortable looking chairs, and sat down it one of them. 'I should probably start from the beginning. You are aware that your parents are James and Lily-' when he said her name he winced almost imperceptibly- 'Potter, is that correct?' She nodded mutely. 'Are you aware of how they died?'

'Aunt Petunia always said it was a car crash, and I got my scar from the windscreen. But I highly doubt that that is actually the case.' Alex said, sighing. She now knew her Aunt and Uncle had lied about everything else in her life, so why should this be any different?

'You are quite right. Now you must understand, not all wizards are good. When your parents and I were growing up, there was a particularly evil wizard; known to the magical world only as You-Know-Who, The Dark Lord, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.'

'What's his real name?' Alex cut in quickly, before she could stop herself. Professor Snape looked her straight in the eye.

'Lord Voldemort.' She nodded again, and he continued. 'When you were about a year old, The Dark Lord set out to murder your parents and yourself. I won't go into the details of how he found you now, but I'm sure you will find out at some point. It is not a topic I especially care to speak of. At any rate, he found you. That is what matters. Your father stood his ground when he first got there, trying to let your mother escape with you. But your foolish father had left his wand in the other room, and The Dark Lord killed him without a second thought. He then proceeded to your room, where Lily had gone to get you. He killed her as well,' at these words the Professor's eyes filled with tears, and he took a second to regain his blank expression. 'And then turned his wand on you. However, the curse just rebounded off of you, and he vanished. No one knows why, but you are the only one to ever survive a killing curse. You are the Girl Who Lived. You are the entire Wizarding Population's saviour. But you are also just an eleven year old girl, getting ready to attend her first year at Hogwarts. Remember that. You are equal to everyone else. Do not believe yourself to be any better. You are just an ordinary girl. Are you ready?' He cut off abruptly, and she nodded, still a little dazed.

They got up, and he Vanished the chairs. He then turned his wand to the wall and tapped a few bricks. All of a sudden, the entire wall disappeared to reveal a bustling street filled with people whom Alex knew to be magicals, and taking an educated guess, she figured they were called witches (girls, since that was what he had said she would become) and wizards (boys, because that was the other word in the title of the school). She looked around at all the shops, in awe of all the new and fantastical products she was seeing. Just then, a thought struck her.

'Professor, I haven't got any money.' She told him, worried that she would now be forced to turn back since she couldn't pay for any of it.

'Your parents left you a great sum of Wizarding money in an account at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. That is where we are going now, before we go anywhere else.' He told her, steering her towards the building at the end of the alley.

'Me? Have money? Wow. I'm surprised my dear family hasn't filched it yet!' She said sarcastically, having begun to loosen up around him as she only ever did with her dearest friend, the snake. The professor's answer though, was perfectly serious.

'We didn't see fit to inform your guardians of your inheritance. Why Dumbledore left you there at all though, I'll never understand.' Professor Snape hissed slightly. Alex was a little confused, but decided that she would find out in due time. She did have one question though, and she wasn't afraid to ask it because he didn't seem to mind them very much.

'Professor, who's Dumbledore?' She asked curiously.

'Albus Dumbledore is the current Headmaster at Hogwarts, and one of the greatest and most powerful wizards of our time. He was the one who sent you to the Dursleys when you were one, and he sent me to you now.'

'Why did he send me to the Dursleys? I don't mean to sound arrogant, but after that scene in the Leaky Cauldron, I'm sure any Wizarding family would have taken me happily.' Alex asked a little angrily.

'I don't know. I tried to convince him to let me take you, as I was close with your mother, but he was adamant about sending you to that dump. He wouldn't tell me why, just that it was critical that you stay there. I am truly sorry. I shall never leave you there again, if I can help it.' Professor Snape replied, staring her solemnly in the eyes as he swore to protect her. He looked angry as well, but at the same time incredibly sad and regretful.

'So you did know my mother?' she asked carefully. He sighed, and nodded sadly.

'Yes, I knew your mother.' He said quietly. Before she could ask more, however, he turned and steered her into the Wizarding bank, Gringotts.

At the door stood two very short little creatures, with wrinkly skin that seemed just a little off colour, pointed ears, and long, spindly fingers. Alex gasped and glanced up at the professor, a little frightened. Snape, seeing her distress, leaned over and whispered in her

'Those are goblins. They are fierce creatures, often dangerous, but their ferocity results in their being the strongest protectors of our gold.' He told her, before straightening up and pushing open the first set of double doors. They found themselves facing a second set of double doors, this time made of solid silver, with a warning poem engraved upon them.

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn_

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

Alex gasped. 'Are they serious?' She asked fearfully. Professor Snape nodded curtly and pushed the doors open.

'Yes, they are, but I highly doubt you will ever have such a problem with them. You have no need to steal others' money, as you have more than enough legitimately.' He informed her. Alex just nodded and followed him into the great chamber before them. It was vast and echoing, with off-white marble floors and walls, and a ceiling at least three stories high. The ceiling itself held a giant crystal chandelier, and there was a mosaic pattern surrounding it, making out what appeared to be a battle scene between goblins and humans. Alex lowered her eyes to in front of her, where there was a high counter split into alcoves with a goblin teller in each one. She followed Professor Snape into one of them, still staring around in awe.

The goblin behind the counter glanced up at them. 'May I help you?' He sneered. Professor Snape nodded.

'We are here to reopen Alexandria Potter's vault and make a withdrawal.' He stated. The goblin nodded.

'Very well. Before I summon a goblin to take you down to the vault in question, there are some forms that must be signed in order to reopen it. I take it the small girl behind you is Miss Potter?' He asked, getting down to business. Alex stepped forward.

'Yes sir, Mr Goblin. My name is Alexandria Lily Potter. Where should I sign?' She asked, eager to get started on her new life. The goblin bared his teeth in what must have been some ferocious goblin type of grin at Alex's enthusiasm, and reached under the counter. He pulled out a few sheets of paper (or, Alex supposed, parchment) with lots of writing on them, and placed them in front of her. Alex dug into her pocket for her pen, and flipped through the papers. She read each one carefully but quickly and then signed them all. Professor Snape shot her a half questioning, half reproachful look, as if wondering what had possessed her.

'Alex, you need to be more careful. Things like signatures and blood have lots of power in the magical world.' He warned her, a note of tension in his voice. Alex just nodded.

'But I looked over every page before signing it, Professor. I wouldn't have signed any of them if they weren't about something important.' Alex stated frankly. She hadn't known of the importance of signatures, but she did know from witnessing some of her Uncle's dealings that one always had to be careful with contracts.

'And what, pray tell, was so important?' Professor Snape asked.

'The first one was verifying that I am Alexandria Lily Potter, blood and magical heir of James Harold Potter and Lily Marie Evans-Potter – I assume those are their full names – and that I accept full responsibility for whatever that may entail.' Alex explained, now quite worried.

'Whatever that may entail? Alex, that may put you in a Wizengamot seat! The Potter family is very old and influential!' The Professor cried. He started to panic, but Alex put up a small hand.

'Professor, please calm down! That's not all it said. It said that, until I come of age, that I can delegate responsibilities and have a guide/mentor. That includes a proxy appointed by me for any government seats I hold.' She explained in a calm voice. Professor Snape nodded, his face settling a bit.

'And what shall you do in the events that you don't find someone suitable?' He asked drily.

'I have confidence that that won't happen, if the Potter family is as old and influential as you claim. Anyway, the second form was to open my trust vault, and the third was to authorize myself for access to the family vaults and whatever I may find inside them.' The Professor's eyes widened at the last one.

'Family vaults? But those shouldn't be available until you come of age!' He exclaimed. He glared at the goblin, his eyes demanding answers.

'She is the heir to and last living member of a Noble and Most Ancient house.' The goblin said smugly, as if that explained everything. Alex didn't understand that, but apparently Professor Snape did, for a look of dawning comprehension appeared on his face.

'Merlin, I'd forgotten about that.' He gasped. Alex glanced up at him, the question clear on her face.

'Er, Professor, what's a Noble and Most Ancient house?' She asked him.

However, instead of Professor Snape answering, the goblin cleared his throat and spoke up.

'Lady Potter,' – this new title confused Alex, but she supposed it would be explained. – 'There are five families in the Magical United Kingdom, who are the oldest Magical families we know, and they hold a special position in our society. They have a measure of veto power in the Wizengamot, as well as a representation in the International Confederation of Wizards, and they own a large portion of the Wizarding market in this country and several others. The Noble and Most Ancient vault block here at Gringotts holds more than at least three quarters of the rest of the bank. The five houses were made British nobility by King Henry VII 500 years ago, and remain honorary Lords and Ladies today. When you signed this paper, you officially became a Lady of the House of Lords, however do not have any duties to the House of Lords, as your position became honorary when the Statute of Secrecy was instituted. The families are, in no particular order: Black, Longbottom, Potter, Bones, and Greengrass. There is a strong magic holding the five families together, and they have had incredibly strong bonds between themselves since their formation. In fact, we shall be notifying the other heads of your return, so that they may instruct you.' The goblin's explanation was concise and informative, and Alex was a fast learner, so she got everything he told her, and it amazed her. Professor Snape, though, already knew this, and was quick to continue his questioning.

'Who are the current heads of the other four houses?' He inquired, hoping against hope that the Black Head wasn't who he suspected.

'Amelia Bones is the head of the Bones family, Richard Greengrass is the head of the Greengrass family, Andromeda Black Tonks is the head of the Black family– '

'But I thought she was disowned?' The Professor cut in, confused.

'Her family didn't go through any legal action here at Gringotts, so she is still considered a member of her family. Therefore, as the oldest non-incarcerated Black, she is head. Finally, Francis Longbottom is head of the Longbottom family, but as he is incapacitated, his mother Augusta has taken up regency until her grandson Neville is of age, or a cure is found for him.'

'Cure? What's wrong with him?' Alex asked.

'He was held under the strongest torture curse in existence for longer than any other instance known to mankind, and it essentially rendered his brain useless. He is an empty shell.' Professor Snape told her bluntly. Alex gasped, horrified. After a moment, she spoke again, still visibly shaken.

'So – so, I'm the head of the house of Potter?' She asked quietly. Professor Snape and the goblin both nodded. 'Am I going to meet Amelia Bones, Richard Greengrass, Andromeda Black Tonks, and the Longbottoms?'

'Yes. While you are down in your vaults, they will be notified, and arrangements will be made soon enough.' The goblin said. Just then, another goblin walked up behind them. 'This is Griphook, the manager of your vaults. He will help you from here, while I call the other Noble and Most Ancient houses.' Griphook walked behind the counter.

'Greetings, Lady Potter. Do you have any questions related to your accounts before we go down to your vaults?' Alex was about to shake her head no, but Professor Snape did have one.

'Can we see a balance of her accounts and a record of all actions regarding them since the deaths of James and Lily Potter?' He inquired. Griphook nodded and left for a moment.

This turned out to be a very good idea, as regular withdrawals had been made since that time, and though it didn't make a large dent, Alex was now down at least 100,000 galleons.

'Who made these withdrawals? Were they authorized?' Professor Snape demanded angrily. Griphook gulped visibly.

'It- it was Albus Dumbledore, sir. He claimed that it was for the care and wellbeing of Lady Potter, and that the Potters' will allowed that.' He explained. Professor Snape's face darkened.

'When I found Lady Potter, she showed no signs of care for the last ten years. She was in tattered clothes that were clearly made for a boy, and one much larger than her at that, she was eating food for the first time in more than a month, and she slept in the cupboard under the stairs. The food she was eating couldn't even be considered a meal; it was left over pieces of dry toast. Now tell me that those withdrawals were authorized, as clearly her family was not using it to care for her.' He hissed. Griphook stuttered and fell silent. 'Did you even bother to check to see if he was correct that he was allowed to make those withdrawals, or did you just take Dumbledore at his word that he was authorized?' Griphook straightened and gathered his thoughts before answering.

'Sir, believe me when I say that I had no idea that this money wasn't going where it should. The Potters' will was magically sealed by Mr Dumbledore himself ten years ago, so we believed that he knew of this, but we had no proof as we could not read our copy.' Griphook said, getting about as close to an apology as a goblin could.

'Very well.' Professor Snape said, sneering. 'Is there at least a way to get it back?' He questioned. Griphook's eyes took on a slightly scary gleam.

'If we could unseal the will, then yes, a thousand times over.' He said.

'And how, pray tell, would we do that?' the Professor growled, impatience dripping from his every limb.

'We require a drop of blood from a blood relative and the person who witnessed it.' The goblin stated, impervious to the intimidating demeanour of the man before him.

'And who was that?' Snape demanded, thoroughly tired of all this nonsense.

'Sirius Black.'

Professor Snape exploded. 'You should have just said it was impossible from the start! I am not having that – that man – near any student of mine, past, present, or future!'

'Professor, who's Sirius Black?' Alex asked in a low voice, treading carefully. Snape looked at her, half frustrated and half saddened. He propped his elbows on the counter and allowed his chin to sink down into his palms, releasing a breath as he did so.

'Sirius Black was your father's best friend.' He began slowly. When Alex began to speak, he held up a hand to stop her. 'Was, Alex. Was. He is also the reason why we speak of your parents in past tense. Shortly after you were born, you and your parents needed to go into hiding, and he was the one protecting you. The only way that the Dark Lord could have found you was through him.' Snape said sadly. He didn't even bother to mention the mass murder, or the fact that Black was Alex's godfather, because he didn't think she needed that much trauma.

Alex fell back against the marble wall of the teller's booth and slid numbly down the wall. Her heart froze, then dropped like it was stone down to her feet. The entire world went silent, and a loud, harsh buzzing filled her ears. She closed her eyes and squeezed her fists together as hard as she could, as if strangling away her horror.

'How could he?' She whispered hoarsely. 'How could he? Their best friend!' She exclaimed, her eyes still shut and her voice beginning to reach higher tones than thought possible. She squeezed her eyes shut harder and felt a bead of salty water slip out and begin to drip down her face.

A shadow fell over Alex's body, and she felt a presence in front of her. She pried her eyelids apart and blearily looked up at Professor Snape, who was crouching in front of her. 'P-professor?' She asked shakily.

'Alex. It is time for us to go down to your vaults. Do you think you can handle it?' He asked softly, his voice caring. Alex nodded slightly, and he offered her his hand. Together, they stood and prepared to descend into the bowels of the bank.

* * *

Well, I hope you like it! It seems right now to be similar in several ways to a lot of fics going around, particularly the ones with the Ancient and Noble houses, the ones where Harry is a girl, and the Snape-is-Harry's-mentor fics. But hopefully my rendition will be a bit different than most.

_"Expect the next chapter soon, but after that it may take a while, because that's all I have written."_

Scratch that. I saw the document in my files and assumed it was done, but in reality I haven't even got a page. It'll be a bit longer, I'm afraid, as I also have an assignment to do for school.


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